$150K bonuses available to Special Forces senior NCOs

Cash bonuses of up to $150,000 are being offered to certain senior NCOs of the Regular Army and Special Forces who extend their careers.

The year-end update to the Critical Skills Retention Bonus program applies to Green Beret sergeants major, master sergeants and promotable sergeants first class who hold an 18-series military occupational specialty, and who extend their careers by 24 months to 72 months.

The annual CSRB application window opened Oct. 23, but could close as early as Nov. 23.

The CSRB program complements the Tiered Selective Retention program, which is targeted at more junior soldiers who are not serving indefinite re-enlistments. Most of the CSRB candidates are at or near retirement eligibility.

Cash bonuses under the CSRB now in effect range from $18,000 to $150,000, depending on an applicant's language skills and length of service extension.

The biggest bonuses are reserved for soldiers who speak a foreign language, and who score 3/3 (listen/read) or 2/2 on the Defense Language Proficiency Test for their control language.

Soldiers may be paid a CSRB if they are within 180 days of reaching their qualifying service date. Bonuses generally are tax-free if paid in a combat zone.

• Soldiers must meet the qualifications for re-enlistment described in Army Regulation 601-280 (Army Retention Program) without regard to their retention control point. Soldiers who are under a valid CSRB contract will be retained beyond their RCP, if needed.
• The minimum length of a CSRB contract is two years.
• Under law, soldiers with more than 25 years of total federal service cannot receive CSRB payments. Therefore, bBonus and service applications that would result in a soldier exceeding 25 years of service will be returned without action. The minimum length of a CSRB contract is two years.
• Soldiers should contact their servicing career counselor to initiate a CSRB request. Applications will be processed through the soldier’s chain of command to the Army Special Operations Command retention management office and the Human Resources Command for final approval.

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